Unanimous

Maybe I missed something, but didn't every host on MSNBC and every elected national Democrat come out in support of gerrymandering California? All on the same day? In one voice?

Was there nothing to be said against suppressing the Republican vote? 

I keep looking for a Democrat bold enough to insist that Republican voters be treated fairly. In an age where political parties play by Trump rules, that hasn't happened. 

So Trump wins. He has changed us.

There are a few independent people who refuse to endorse gerrymandering. Bernie Sanders sees gerrymandering as a threat to representative democracy. He's been silent, not conforming. He has not endorsed Prop 50. But he isn't a Democrat (he must have his reasons).

If there were a major party defending fair treatment for everyone, Susan and I might join it. 

 

s

Trump Changed Us

Trump has badly damaged both political parties. 

The Republicans adopted a Fascist model, including voter suppression, and won.  Now the Democrats have, almost unanimously, adopted voter suppression. "When they go low, we go low."

It's odd what one delusional man can accomplish, but I suppose we should not be surprised. 

The Inferior

Susan and I are still learning basics about the Civil War that remained hidden in high school. 

I recently read that Jefferson Davis and others openly divided white people into two races.

Of course they did. 

White Southerners were descendants of noble folk. When their fathers had defeated the British, they had "fought against a manly foe." But northern white soldiers were "the offscourings of the earth." Their ancestors came from the "bogs and fens" of Ireland and  England, from degenerate vagabonds and swamp people. 

 I think Davis saw a sound society as one where a lowly race did the physical labor; in the North that meant working-class white people. No Confederate would want to associate with such low-class "greasy merchants, filthy operatives. . . ." 

The New England states were composed of "small farmers who do their own drudgery," and so on.  Northern troops would be cowardly, of course, and stupid, not worthy foes. They were not going to put up much of a fight.

No Damn King

 

Plans for Santa Rosa

There is a No Kings Rally & Two Marches scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2025 in Santa Rosa.

• You can march from Santa Rosa Junior College or from Julliard Park to Doyle Park. The rally  at Doyle Park is set for 11 AM to 3 PM. 700 Doyle Park Drive. 

  Many small towns like Healdsburg have a similar rally on Saturday.

  I did not expect, at 90, to defend democracy in America, but I will try. I don't plan to march. I will bike to Doyle Park. I will stay for less than four hours.  

Glasses

My wife and I went to CVS to get three shots. While we waited, Susan said to me, "Are my glasses on?" (They were.)

Peace in Caanan

The recent war in Gaza, a city that existed in ancient Canaan, may be over. Both sides lost.

What I recall of the history of Canaan is unreliable. 

Humans (Neanderthals and Sapiens) inhabited the area hundreds of thousands of years ago. 

The Bronze Age saw the rise of fortified Canaanite cities like Jericho.

About 3,000 years ago the Canaanites divided into different warring groups, among them the  Philistines, the remaining Canaanites and the Israelites. And there were Phoenicians, Samaritans, etc. I don't know how that happened. And then the Sea People arrived from the west; they wiped out entire civilizations and drove the Assyrians back into Mesapotamia. 

A historical incident many remember is the genocide at Jericho, where the walls came tumbling down. The Israelites stormed the Canaanite city and killed everyone in it, men, women and children, and then slaughtered the domestic animals. 

That is what the Book tells us.

Today it looks like the Israelis and Hamas are negotiating a peace accord. 

Tens of thousands of civilians have starved or been killed. 

Let this be the last war in Canaan.

 

d

The Greatest Nation on Earth

There are 194 countries in the UN.  All are unjust. But some must be better than others. To find the good countries, we need criteria. 

Recently I came across The Good Country Index, which is researched and published by Simon Anholt. He rates 174 nations by the excellent things they do for humanity, using seven categories ranging from science to equality.  

Anholt relies on statistics from WHO, the World Bank, UNESCO, etc.  

The Index has critics, who say it oversimplifies. 

The 2023 Index lists Finland first. Not a surprise. Northern Europe does well. 

Ireland, once listed first, is now fifteenth.  Switzerland, recently listed first, is sixteenth. 

The United States used to rank in the twenties, but in 2023 we ranked fiftieth. 

The worst nation listed? Afghanistan.  

The Far Left

When I was young, Marxist friends claimed to be more left than I was.  Stung by this assessment, I became a nonviolent anarchist.  

Anarchists stressed freedom, individualism and being authentic. I was not required to follow Mao, Lenin or Fidel, which suited me.  

In time I became a democratic socialist/New Dealer. 

After service in the army, I demonstrated for civil rights and then for peace. At 90 I still do that. But friends recently claimed they are farther to the left than I am.  What does that mean? 

Why is it a good thing to be more left than I am?

Prop 50

Californians, including me, have been asked to vote on Proposition 50, which was designed by Democrats to suppress the state Republican vote. 

50 is a response to MAGA suppressing Democratic voters in other states. 

I have considered a few principles. 

1. An Eye for an Eye

This ancient principle, associated with Hammurabi, was republished in the Torah and the Old Testament. Its purpose is to limit damage. 

2. Tit for Tat

If you do to your opponent exactly what she did to you, the folly of aggression may be clarified for both parties. (Avoid tit for TAT.)

3. Fight Fire with Fire

Proposition 50 addresses Fascism, not a fire. Should we fight Fascism with Fascism? 

My hope is that the gerrymander in Texas will backfire (that sometimes happens in these cases). There is at least a chance that Texas MAGA will lose seats. (Probably not.)

I oppose voter suppression, so I will vote no on 50. I don't belong to a political party, because I  oppose voter suppression etc. But 50 is favored to pass easily.